Kitten activity period
A kitten behaves in the same way as a child: plays, runs, explores the world through actions. Upon reaching the age of 1 year, his activity begins to decline. But there are certain breeds that are hyperactive throughout their entire life cycle.
Daytime activity should be encouraged. Cats are nocturnal animals, so their peak activity is in the dark. It is recommended to alternate periods of rest and activity throughout the day, as small kittens can sleep all day.
You should not interfere with their daytime sleep, as this is a natural need. But it is necessary to initiate active play during periods of wakefulness.
To do this, you need to provide the kitten with:
- toys;
- scratching posts;
- designs for games.
This will help reduce their activity at night. In addition, it is not recommended to remove kittens from a cat before they are 12 weeks old; it is better to do this even later.
Useful tips
Your kitten needs discipline and guidance, just like all small children. When he does something wrong, like attacking your leg, biting or scratching you, just discipline him. This may seem difficult, especially if you have a sharp claw or tooth embedded in your leg, but grit your teeth and remember to exercise self-control. Growing kittens respond best to calm and consistent discipline. Immediately after he does something, say “no” and calmly take him to a room where he will be on his own for 5 to 10 minutes. Do this immediately, or he will simply become confused and not understand anything.
How to spot cat aggression
Aggression in cats is manifested by the following signs:
- grin;
- hiss;
- growl;
- flattened ears and whiskers;
- dilated pupils;
- raised wool;
- rounded back;
- direct eye contact or avoiding eye contact.
The animal is tense, angry, and irritated. It's hard for him to relax. He reacts violently to any external stimuli: he can squeak, meow loudly, and be afraid of approaching him.
To know how to properly calm a kitten, you need to identify the reasons for its aggressive behavior, which may include:
- fright;
- pain shock;
- abrupt awakening (when he was sleeping and was awakened by a loud sound);
- change of environment;
- moving to another place of residence;
- territory protection;
- protection of offspring;
- physical contact that is unpleasant for the animal;
- a large number of strangers on its territory;
- a new pet in the house, etc.
There are 2 types of aggression:
- intraspecific (in relation to cats);
- interspecific (in relation to other animals or humans).
Often aggressive behavior can be accompanied by an attack on the target of aggression. This condition most often occurs suddenly due to shock or strong emotions. Various reactions may follow.
Animal psychologists argue that aggression in animals in most cases manifests itself as a defensive reaction to fear or stress. Faced with an incomprehensible situation, the kitten does not know how to react to it (defend, run, etc.). The pet owner needs to identify irritating factors and try to eliminate them.
What to do with an overly active cat?
The moment a cat appeared in your house, everything that could be broken, torn or eaten disappeared from it.
Spartan order reigns in the apartment, but the “fluffy vandal” still burns with an insatiable thirst for activity and is looking for the next opportunity to cause mischief.
How can you explain your pet's restless behavior?
1. Youth. Some cats need to grow up and settle down.
2. Change of environment (moving, renovation). Each four-legged pet reacts in its own way to unfamiliar smells, new furniture, street noise coming from behind the door of a new apartment, and so on.
What to do if the kitten is angry
The following measures will help you calm your kitten when he gets angry and displays aggressive behavior:
- If a cat attacks, you can spray water from a spray bottle in its direction. This will scare him away. This method can be used when attacking both humans and animals.
- If you are in the same area as an animal at the time of aggressive behavior, you should step back a little or go to another room for at least 10 minutes. This will make the cat feel safe and calm.
- If a cat behaves aggressively when meeting another animal, it is necessary to send them to different rooms. Pets should get to know each other gradually.
- It is recommended to sit down or lie on the floor. In this case, the animal will see that the object has decreased in size and does not pose a threat.
- Direct eye contact should be avoided, as cats regard it as a harbinger of an attack.
- You can calm an angry pet by providing him with shelter (a carrier, a soft house, etc.) so that he feels safe. This method can be used when there are many strangers in the house.
- You should approach slowly. You need to make sure that the animal has calmed down, but you should not touch it.
- Let your cat take the initiative on his own. To do this, sit on the floor and hand him his favorite treat. He must come himself. But you still don’t need to touch him in order to avoid repeated outbursts of aggression.
- If hostile behavior occurs frequently, you should seek help from a veterinarian. An animal may develop a disease that is asymptomatic. The doctor will recommend medications and sedatives.
- If the cause cannot be identified quickly, you should be patient and do not disturb the kitten for half an hour.
Active game
In order for the accumulated negative energy to find a way out, you can use your pet in the game. To do this, you need to choose a device that resembles a fishing rod.
An active kitten will associate this game with hunting. Instead of a fishing rod, you can use a ball: the pet will run after it, and its energy will be redirected into a peaceful direction.
But you should not use balls of thread, as they can cause various diseases in your pet, in particular intestinal ones.
During periods of hostility, you should not expose your kitten to play. This will not calm him down, but will cause even greater aggression. In addition, it can cause damage.
Offer of treats
To involve your pet in active play, you should offer him food, but not leave it in the public domain, but recreate the conditions of the wild. The kitten will need to find hidden food. This will awaken his instincts and distract him from aggression.
Specialty stores sell animal mazes. After completing such a maze, the kitten will receive a reward in the form of food. When he finds it and satisfies his hunger, he will become calm and want to sleep.
Comfortable conditions
In veterinary stores you can find many different houses for cats. It is best to choose a configuration with elevations, as these animals love to be at heights. This will allow them to observe what is happening from the outside, which they often like to do.
They also like enclosed spaces. This way the kitten will get its own shelter in which it will feel calm. It will also give him space to explore and release energy. A box in which the pet will be just as comfortable will serve as a replacement for a purchased house.
Raising kittens
It is better to raise them with love and affection. Punishments should be a last resort. If the kitten does not let you sleep at night and does not respond to being ignored, then you should pick it up and hold it close to you. Having received attention from his owners, he will begin to behave calmer and will know that he can count on affection at any time. Punishment will have the opposite effect.
Cats, like other animals, love affection and touch. It is necessary to take your pupil in your arms more often and stroke him. This way he can feel the love of his owners. If the pet is alone in the apartment throughout the day, then in the evening it especially needs to be given a lot of attention. Parting is a serious stress for him, because he does not understand how long the owners have been gone.
According to research, every time the animal is afraid that it has been left forever. Affection and attention from the owners form a trusting attitude of the animal. Playing together and tactile contact will create affection in the kitten.
There is no need to prohibit children from playing with a pet. Such a pastime will be useful for both the child and the animal. Studies have shown that a pet loves not those who feed it, but those who play with it. Therefore, you should not deprive the kitten of attention or ignore playing with it. Animals always reciprocate love and affection and become calmer.
Cats, like people, can be offended. If you behave unkindly towards them, they may get angry and even take revenge after some time. You must not hit the animal or swing various objects at it. This will cause a negative reaction.
You should let the kitten understand that your hand is not a toy. You can't pounce on her, scratch her or bite her. Otherwise, the angry pet will not build boundaries and may cause injury to its owner.
Before getting a pet, you need to weigh the pros and cons, as well as the opportunity to spend a lot of time with it and pay due attention. If you don’t have the time, money, or are frequently away and have to give your pet to other people, it is not recommended to get one. The animal will suffer and experience stress.
Common mistakes: what not to do?
It is important for the owner to remember that the animal should never be taken out of the house during daytime rest and night sleep. Young children should be prohibited from doing this, since such an act can forever push the cat away from his favorite place.
You need to call and wait until the animal leaves the house on its own.
If the kitten cries and wants to leave the litter and lie down with the owner, you should bring him back, stay with him and wait until he falls asleep. It is impossible to teach a baby to sleep in the master’s bed, because it is difficult to wean him from this habit in adulthood. With patience and love, you can accustom your mustachioed pet to its own corner without unnecessary stress.
Kitten behavior in a new place
If a kitten is taken away from its mother early, it may have problems adapting to a new place, decreased immunity, etc. Therefore, this should be done as late as possible. If he cries at the time of weaning, then you should not take him away. It's better to wait 1-2 months.
The move should be comfortable for him, both physically and mentally. It is better to transport him in the car in a special carrier that protects him from external irritants, inside which a familiar toy and soft bedding are placed. Transporting it on public transport is dangerous.
There is no need to create a stir around your pet in a new place. All family members should get to know him in turn.
It is important to limit his access to items that are potentially hazardous to health.
